Why Should We Care about the Security of Our Data

Saving important data used to be super easy five or ten years ago. That is why this article about why should we care about the Security of our data is such an important topic on geekersmagazine.com.

Why Should We Care about the Security of Our Data

All you needed to do is put them on a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive or an external hard drive and you could be sure that none of your files and folders would fall into the wrong hands. Today, however, things are not that simple. Optical disc drives are not enough and, even if you managed to save all your data on them, you might still be in danger. Do not forget that hackers are getting smarter and more sophisticated every single day and that you could easily be a potential target without you even knowing it. That is why more and more people are moving to the cloud storage systems and keeping their documents in the virtual world. In case you are wondering how safe that alternative is, here are some thoughts.

Being Under Attack!

Keep in mind that your data on the cloud is still out there, even though you protect it with a unique username and password and accessible to people other than you.

Unfortunately, it is not just the individuals that are under attack, but big companies and corporations experience threats almost on a daily basis and that is why the security of our data is so important.

It was reported that in 2015 companies like Kaspersky Lab and institutions like Harvard University and Army National Guard were targeted, while the list was much longer in 2014 and included brands like UPS, JP Morgan Chase and Home Depot. Knowing how many of your personal information these companies possess, it seems that none of us is safe anymore and so we should be very concerned about the security of our data.

Who Can You Trust?

Now, this is the trickiest question and the one that probably has no right answer: who can you really trust with the security of our data? Everyone and their grandmother knows that uploading your documents on an untrusted cloud system will put you in trouble and you will cause yourself a major headache. That is why choosing an encrypted cloud storage might be a better idea: at least you will know that your data cannot be accessed by just anyone and that a unique code conversion is behind it.

Moreover, with these types of storages, you will take control of your files instead of the people working for the provider. You will be able to access them from any place in the world, but only after a thorough security check. And the more layers of protection there are, the better for the security of our data.

Error 101 – Human Touch

However, no matter how hard you try to save your data, you can never be 100% safe. And the biggest problem, it seems, are the people – last year, the biggest number of security breaches were a result of a human error. Therefore, it is not the hackers nor the system that is causing a threat, but the people working for you and the ones maintaining the cloud system. So, instead of blaming your data loss on the cloud storage system, you might want to think twice before deciding who you are going to trust your data to.

Finally: Stay Protected

Keeping your data safe on the cloud is a 24/7 job and you cannot just stop doing it once you feel that your files are safe enough. No, you have to be updated and check your sensitive data from time to time. Only by monitoring your activity will you know what is really going on. Yvonne Li from SurMD, one of the best cloud services out there, says that you need to “regularly review system activity, logs, and logins to be informed on who is accessing data and when.” And might easily be the key to cloud security of our data.

Marcus is an Australian IT support professional. He’s running his own business, working with companies that outsource their IT maintenance. He often writes about technology, business and marketing and is a regular contributor on several sites.